SINGAPORE — After having a few drinks and getting into an argument with his girlfriend, a young man threw punches on a defenceless taxi driver.

On Tuesday (March 15), William Ng, 27, was sentenced to three months’ jail by the State Courts after he was convicted for voluntarily causing hurt. The taxi driver, Wee Toon Kiang was hospitalised after the attack on April 8, 2014, but the 61-year-old died last year from skin cancer.

On the day of the offence, Ng and his girlfriend, Ms Lim Yan Ping, then 22, boarded a taxi from Orchard Plaza at about 5.15am after having some drinks in a Thai disco club.

They were heading towards Telok Blangah Rise when the couple got into an argument. Ms Lim was upset because Ng’s friends had joined them for drinks, defence lawyer SS Dhillon said.

At one point, Ng asked the driver to stop the taxi and he alighted. Ms Lim followed him out and the couple continued arguing. Later, Ms Lim boarded the taxi without Ng. When Wee wanted to drive off, Ng entered the taxi by the front passenger door and said, “Today, I sure hammer you.”

He started throwing punches at the driver’s chest and Wee activated the distress button to call for help from the operating centre.

Wee later ran out of the taxi, but Ng continued to chase him and pushed him on his shoulder. Wee fell backwards on his left hip, but managed to use his legs to block more blows from Ng. When Ng tried to squat to deliver more punches, Ms Lim pulled him away.

Wee was later sent to Singapore General Hospital where he was warded for two days.

The couple broke up four months after the incident.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Star Chen urged the court to impose a jail sentence of between three and four months, saying that Ng’s “senseless attack on an elderly transport worker must be met with the strictest disapprobation”.

“The victim would have been severely outmatched against the forceful assault from the accused,” she said.

Ms Chen also cited a few “aggravating factors”, that Ng was “intoxicated” and the assault was “sustained and brutal” until Ms Lim stopped him.

“If not for this timely intervention, the victim could well have sustained heavier injuries,” she added.

In mitigation, Mr Dhillon said Ng did not use any weapon in the assault and he lost his cool when Wee wanted to drive away because he was trying to calm Ms Lim down. The lawyer added that his client did not have any trouble with taxi drivers previously.

Ng could have been jailed up to two years or fined up to S$5,000 or both.